Misty Mountain Hop

climbing adventures in Scotland and abroad

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  • Introduction
  • Photo Gallery
    • No. 6 – The Number of the Mini Beast
    • Seeing the light on Deep Cut Chimney, Hell’s Lum
    • The Dog’s Danglies on K9 and Window Gully
    • Getting the Blood Flowing on Coronary Bypass
    • Worth the Wait on Transept Groove, Lochnagar
    • An Exposed Spanking in the Gorges du Verdon
    • Full value on The Sandpyper Direct
    • It’s not over until it’s over – The Needle and The Pause
    • Winter-lite on Liathach and Beinn Bhan
    • Lean times in Lochan and that other coire
    • Dolomiti Super Summer
    • Sun and Stars at Costa del Diabaig
    • Ticks in the Glen – Polldubh Crags
    • Paradise in Patagonia
    • Gotta Love Spring – Sunny Curved Ridge, Icy White Line
    • Hit and Miss but Always Stunning in Torridon
    • Left or Right? Unsure and off Centrist, Lochnagar
    • Savage Slit and Silver Linings
    • A Day Off on the Dubh Loch – Cyclops
    • A Tale of Two Halves – Chamonix 2015 Trip Report
    • Blood, Sweat and Slopers – Pas de Friction in Font
    • Winter Lingers on Beinn a’Bhuird
    • Hot Rock on the Etive Slabs and Garbh Bheinn
    • Alpine on An Teallach
    • Perfect Conditions – Winter Sun in Fontainebleau
    • West Is Best – Classic Ice on Ben Nevis
    • The Drool, Eagles Rock
    • Shadow Buttress B, Bells Route
    • Crepes and crushing – Fontainebleau trip report
    • Sun, snow and summits – Chamonix trip report
    • A precursory glance
    • Page header panoramas
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Category Archives: Scottish Winter

No. 6 – The Number of the Mini Beast

22 Mar
No6 Gully featured image
As the mini beast from the east reigned windy terror at higher elevations, Ric and I sought shelter at low altitudes on a westerly aspect. We made for the classic No.6 Gully (IV, 4) on Aonach Dubh, which has been reliably in...
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Scottish Winter Leave a comment

Seeing the Light on Deep Cut Chimney, Hell’s Lum

24 Feb
Andy begins 150 m of perfect neve and ice climbing while cloud and spindrift stream off the plateau above in the strong winds.
After a sharp thaw and hard re-freeze, reports of stellar conditions all over the Highlands were flooding in. Not wanting to miss out, Andy and I hatched plans for the Loch Avon Basin in the heart of the Cairngorms. Having...
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Ice, Scottish Winter Leave a comment

The Dog’s Danglies on K9 and Window Gully

20 Feb
Andy approaching the final steepening after a rising traverse on slightly worrying ice. Photo credit: Joe Dobson
A week of heavy snow on gale-force south westerlies rendered many approaches to the popular north and east facing crags fairly serious and covered the cliffs themselves in powder. Wanting none of the peril and the arduous clearing required on...
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Ice, Scottish Winter Leave a comment

Getting the Blood Flowing on Coronary Bypass

12 Jan
Andy back-and-footing to exit the short chimney at the start of the route - a good introductory pitch.
Climbing on powder-choked crags was very much the theme during the first week of January, with plenty of snow falling and no thaw-freeze cycles to provide any consolidation. Despite the inevitability of a day of excavation, Andy and I plumbed...
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Scottish Winter Leave a comment

Worth the Wait on Transept Groove, Lochnagar

18 Dec
Joe valiantly perseveres on what we subsequently realised to be the incorrect start to Judas Priest. The true line climbs the groove to the right before stepping left to avoid the roof.
The first routes of the season had been climbed at the start of November and despite the conditions getting better and better, prior commitments, injury and illness had prevented me from getting out to capitalise on them. With relentless social...
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Scottish Winter, Trad 3 Comments

Winter-lite on Liathach and Beinn Bhan

13 Feb
The final stretch of the ridge to Mullach an Rathain affords excellent views into Upper Coire na Caime, the Trinity Gullies and the Northern Pinnacles
Last week a sudden change to cold and snowy weather born on easterlies meant deep powder rapidly swamped much of the highlands. With windslab building on north and westerly aspects and many mixed routes buried in unconsolidated snow, big ridges...
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Photography, Scottish Winter Leave a comment

Lean times in Lochan and that other coire

22 Nov
The tricky bit - having stepped left the search begins for useful placements to allow movement into the gully above
People have been out enjoying good early season winter climbing conditions since the start of November, but a few days of thaw put an abrupt stop to that until this weekend. Temperatures dropped sharply mid week and snow showers on...
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Scottish Winter 1 Comment

Gotta Love Spring – Sunny Curved Ridge, Icy White Line

24 Mar
White Line approach slopes
Sitting at my desk while high pressure brought a week of great weather and climbing conditions to the west coast was torture! Luckily the high was forecast to stay put for the weekend, so it was two relieved climbers who...
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Scottish Summer, Scottish Winter, Trad Leave a comment

Hit and Miss but Always Stunning in Torridon

18 Feb
Another view of the same section and about the time we realized this wasn't a grade IV pitch...
The West Buttress (IV, 4) rematch was on! Conditions were good, the forecast excellent and schemes were hatched – we would arrive on Thursday night, blitz Beinn Eighe Friday and enjoy two leisurely days of Liathach ice over the weekend....
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Ice, Scottish Winter, Trad 2 Comments

Left or Right? Unsure and off Centrist, Lochnagar

1 Feb
A prolonged thaw followed by a few days of stormy weather meant options for winter climbing last weekend were going to be relatively limited. Figuring that the north east facing coire of Lochnagar would have at least accumulated some snow...
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Scottish Winter, Trad Leave a comment

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Recent Posts

  • No. 6 – The Number of the Mini Beast March 22, 2018
  • Seeing the Light on Deep Cut Chimney, Hell’s Lum February 24, 2018
  • The Dog’s Danglies on K9 and Window Gully February 20, 2018
  • Getting the Blood Flowing on Coronary Bypass January 12, 2018
  • Worth the Wait on Transept Groove, Lochnagar December 18, 2017

Recent Comments

  • David Marshall on Worth the Wait on Transept Groove, Lochnagar
  • Adam Archibald on Worth the Wait on Transept Groove, Lochnagar
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  • Dave on Full Value on The Sandpyper Direct
  • Andy Nisbet on Full Value on The Sandpyper Direct

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